New Glarus - Raspberry Tart

I'm glad my New Glarus kick continues because this brew has been sitting in my fridge for waaay too long. Now, New Glarus is recognized for having some world-class fruit beers. The first I had was their Wisconsin Belgian Red, but this review will be dedicated to their Raspberry Tart. Full disclosure: with all the New Glarus beers I’ve tried this one has eluded me until this day. My wife has even had this one, but not me! That all changes now. Let’s pour!

Aroma 12/12

The distinct, slightly sour fruit of raspberries is abundant and is presented in a way that says “refined.”  A champagne-like dryness sits just behind all the fruit, giving the aroma of some high-end sparkling ciders but with raspberry tones instead of grape or apple.  Thus making it a bit more acidic and, as the name would imply, tart.  The thick fruit aroma will not be ignored and at times gives wafts of a fermented  “boozy” character.  It is almost like smelling a jar of homemade raspberry preserves and if you’ve not been fortunate enough to have a grandmother into jarring fruit, go to the grocery store and crack open a jar of those most expensive-looking raspberry preserves you can find, stir it vigorously with your first two fingers, and take a deep whiff.  They won’t mind.

Appearance 2/3

The appearance leaves nothing to be desired with the exception of the head, which aggressively fizzles and dies like champagne.  The color is phenomenal!  Ruby reds, sparkling magentas, vivid vermillions, and edges that brown ever so slightly like real cherry juice.  This all seems remarkably appropriate given the trees during this time of year, but shouldn't have any trouble being appreciated year round.

Nothing says "Drink me!" like a wax dipped, 750 mL bottle.

Flavor 20/20

Wow!  This is not your alco-pop variety lambic!  “Wow” even seems inadequate.  Perhaps the only thing with more authentic raspberry flavor would be a glass of recently-muddled raspberries.   Initial flavors are mellow, sweet, full, and round.  I swear it’s nearly buttery.  The backbone is an amazing progression of fruit flavors, from fermented raspberry sweet, to tongue tantalizingly tart, to a bitter flavor.  I strongly recommend just holding it in your mouth to experience this.  I think I found a “raspberry black hole.”  The flavor of raspberries that is so dense and folded on itself so many times that it gets darker and darker.  Eventually, the flavor is so dark that at points it appears as a light bitter note.  OK, no more psuedoscience jokes.  The bitter is not as aggressive (and, in my opinion unpleasant) as a cranberry is, but it is certainly another layer of taste in this world-class fruit beer.  The finish is a bit earthy, as if when eating a cherry, you happened upon a bit of the stem.  It continues the bitter and earthy notes and combines them with a sense of carbonation all over your tongue.  A nice effect considering the carbonation in this beer is actually much lower than what one would expect.

Mouthfeel 5/5

This beer takes huge steps away from lambics that err by being too light-bodied and overly carbonated.  Raspberry tart is the most full-bodied fruit beer that I have ever had.  It sits heavy and the mouth and is never offensive with its carbonation.  The bubbles are so tiny that despite their few numbers (a bit of an oddity in a fruit beer), in the finish they still leave the tongue feeling like it has been bathed in effervescence.  It leaves the mouth a bit slick from the sweetness, but it is a small trade for a beer this wonderful.

Overall Impression 10/10

An excellent, world-class fruit beer, hands down.  This only goes to show that fruit beers can be so much more than candied, overly-carbonated, fruit juices!  The color is simply ridiculous, the aroma intoxicating, the flavor complex and authentic, and the mouthfeel substantial without inducing lethargy.  It is amazing in every category and an example for fruit beer makers everywhere.

Total 49/50

There are simply not enough superlatives for this beer.  To avoid glowing about every single facet of this beer, I’m going to simply reiterate my favorite characteristic.  THE FLAVOR!  How this beer transitions from a sweet raspberry straight from the vine, to a tart biting thing, to a bitterer, aged, rounded flavor is absolutely beyond me.  One of those excellent flavors would be great.  All three separates the men from the boys.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish the rest of this bottle before my wife knows I have it open.

Point - Whole Hog Raspberry Saison

June is almost over and so is my almost perfect adherence to drinking local beers.  This review's beer comes from Wisconsin.  Those of you who have been paying attention know that I currently dwell in Illinois.  However, I was born in Wisconsin and lived there for many years so I feel I get a pass on this one.  This is part of Point's "Whole Hog" series.  When I first saw it I thought that, per the name, it would be for a bacon beer(!), but upon closer inspection I realized it was simply a limited release of various styles.  Not that a limited release is a bad thing, but it cowers a bit to the excitement over the potential for bacon beer.  Have I blathered on enough yet?  Good.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 10/12
There are some great sniffs on this one!  It, of course, starts out with the raspberry esters that also add a light acidic note to the brew.  The acidity is good to have in there as it is true to the fruit and indicates natural ingredients.  Some floral notes come in later to compliment the raspberries.  As the head fizzles away, there are spicy Belgian yeast notes as well as light caramel aromas.  The banana aromas from the yeast become apparent as the beer warms and is odd that it appears almost separate from the spice.  There could be a hop citrus in there as well, but I could very well be confusing the tartness of the raspberries.

Appearance 1/3
A hazy Belgian pale orange fills the glass.  The white head is small, dissipates quickly, and leaves no lacing.  A somewhat smaller head is to be expected when brewing with acidic fruits, but even with that consideration this seems small and brief.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 16/20
This beer does not pull any punches in its beginning!  You are almost instantly hit by a bready, caramelly, spicy pile of banana-y goodness.  The malt is present with a strong bready note, but this disappears almost completely by the time the backbone fades in.  One would expect the backbone to consist strongly of raspberries and maybe even be a bit acidic given the nose of this beer.  You would be wrong.  Where are the raspberries?  Make no mistake, the beer that is present is full of caramel and Belgian yeast flavors of pepper and bananas - it is darn tasty.  I just expected a raspberry beer to taste like raspberries.  Call me crazy.  The finish is darkly sweet from its caramel and very smooth.  It also shows a hint of the warmth that his brew has previously held a very close secret (7.2% ABV).  The aftertaste is also appropriate for the style, being mostly clean despite the sweet/peppery backbone, but with a light hop bitter to keep things refreshing and mouth-watering.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Medium-heavy body with plenty of creaminess and carbonation that starts out adequate, but fizzles out completely before the end of the pint.  Very little warmth is shown despite is relatively high ABV.

Overall Impression 6/10
This is a very tasty and stylistically accurate saison:  Belgian yeast, low to moderate malt presence (caramel), spicy, creamy, and it even gave us some unexpected warmth.  All very nice.  Unfortunately, the aroma was the only place the raspberries made themselves known.  The lack of head and raspberries are the major areas of concern with this beer.  Thankfully the rest of the beer is strong enough to carry it.

Total 38/50
If this was JUST a Belgian I would have given it a higher rating in flavor.  However, the raspberries were absent from everything except the aroma!  I want to rate it higher because it is darn tasty, but how can you make a raspberry beer that doesn't taste like raspberries.  Aren't there sensory people for exactly that task?  For the saison style, it is pretty darn close to the mark, but that is not what I was promised by this bottle.  I was hoping for something a bit more crisp and refreshing (hence the raspberries).  Overall, I would buy this again, but for the saison style and NOT the raspberries.